A positron emission tomograph designed for 3/4 mm resolution

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/23.467741· OSTI ID:148055

McInytre, J A; Allen, R D; Aguiar, J; Paulson, J T ^[1]

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1. Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States). Physics Dept.

Two factors of the design for a positron tomograph affect the magnitude of the tomograph spatial resolution: the gamma ray detector width and the analogue measurement of the scintillator location. In the tomograph design reported here the analogue measurement is eliminated and the detector transaxial width factor is reduced to 3/4 mm. The analogue measurement is eliminated by transmitting the scintillation light from each individual scintillator through optical fibers to four photo-multipliers (PMT`s); the identities of the PMT`s then provide a digital address for the scintillation location. Plastic scintillators are used to provide enough scintillation light for transmission through the optical fibers. Bonuses from the use of plastic scintillators are first, the reduction of the scintillator dead time to about 10 nsec, second, a large reduction of cross-talk between neighboring scintillators, third, the reduction of resolution loss from off-axis gamma rays and, fourth, the ability to sample the axial image at one-eighth the axial resolution distance of 2.5 mm. The designed tomograph incorporates 20 rings. Two of the 32 tomograph 20-ring modules have been constructed to measure the resolution and other characteristics of the tomographs.

• OSTI ID: 148055
• Report Number(s): CONF-941061--
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science Journal Issue: 4Pt1 Vol. 42; ISSN 0018-9499; ISSN IETNAE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
DESIGN
IMAGE PROCESSING
POSITRON CAMERAS
POSITRON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
RADIATION DETECTORS
SPATIAL RESOLUTION